Have you ever seen HBO’s show Girls? Don’t watch it. It’s heinously inappropriate but it is like an almost exact replica of my life in a lot of ways. There is a part where Hannah says, “The ice cream truck is parked directly in front of my house- it’s like life is a dream!” That is exactly how I felt about all of last weekend! We traveled to Newport Beach for Jen & Clark’s wedding. It was a weekend full of friends, coffee, the beach, and just general loveliness!

The drive was great- some lady in an Audi rear ended us…but that was turned into an occasion to get donuts and the car was mostly fine!
We headed right to Huntington Beach and had lunch right on the water.

Jen & Clark hosted a get together for the wedding party & family the night before. They gave each person in the bridal party a gift and said some super nice things about us.

After that we all got coffee & went to the beach. I also got a mini pumpkin pie. And we wore glow sticks. A dream, right?!

And that was just day 1! Wow! More to come on the wedding, brunch, and more!

I tried to assemble pictures for High Five for Friday for this week but I didn’t really have anything too exciting! Haha this week was full of work and a tiny bit of fun. I watched Catfish and sparked a really weird debate on Facebook over Nev’s chest hair. I got a cold & sneezed out my new nose ring- that was painful. I also have a new, pretty cool social media opportunity. (BUT I already made a typo in front of thousands of fans so that’s kind of extremely embarrassing! Auto correct will be the death of me!) I’ve been watermarking and pinning and graming and I love it!

Today, I have a long to do list before Jen & Clark’s wedding! (Including Spray Tanning and Green with Abby M!) Even though they got engaged not too long ago, this wedding feels like a long time coming! I’m so excited for a road trip to Cali, some time with the girls, and a wedding on a boat!

There will be lots of social media updating so I hope you’re prepared!

I had the great privilege of cohosting Jen’s Bachelorette Party! I searched Pinterest, the Internet, and beyond for non-disgusting Bachelorette party themes that were FUN but penis straw free. Um…that doesn’t exist on the Internet. In the end, I think Kate and I came up with a great night! Since we knew that the bride loves to sing, we came up with sort of a rock star theme- Jen’s Farewell Tour!

We started the night at the Downtown Phoenix Pita Jungle.

The downtown location is pretty similar to the Tempe location: cool atmosphere, great food, terrible service. We did presents after dinner….I think her faces say it all. 🙂 The presents are for Clark’s eyes only now…

After all the lacy things were opened, we have Jen a list of challenges for the night: propose to someone with a ring pop, dance with someone, get someone to buy her Sex on the Beach(bonus points if it’s virgin), etc. With impeccable timing, a few police officers walked in to the restaurant. A perfect opportunity to propose! Haha They were great sports!

Once that calmed down (we sort of took over the restaurant….), we got ready to head to The Deuce to kareoke. To get everyone in the mood, we had some props (boas, microphones, hair pieces…) and some rocker temporary tattoos- they were a huge hit!

We also gave everyone their own “Backstage Pass”!

I had heard The Deuce was a great place for karaoke and it totally was!

We hula hopped, sang, and danced our pants off! The atmosphere was so fun- everyone was supportive & energetic. I think I expected it to be a little more pretentious/hipster and it wasn’t. They have this vintage vibe going with out trying too hard. It’s just a cool place and I can’t wait to go back!

It was great to track the photos for the night with our hashtag: #JensFarewellTour

We ended the night with some fun favors: a pack of gum, a ring pop, and a pair of big sunglasses. Oh and this little note tucked in:

It was so fun & I hope Jen felt celebrated! Shout out to Kate for planning letting me plan with her via electronic means and trusting me!

Towards the end of Mending the Soul, a theraputic group study I went through, I started to realize that there were a lot of things I did or said because I thought it was who I was…but it really wasn’t. I realized I had a lot of fear about exploring what I liked or who I was. I had been down this road a little before….(see the emo pics on my instagram) but this round wasn’t about rebellion. This was about true discovery and and end of fear! It was about stepping into who God really created me to be: free and fearless! One of my favorite verses is 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” I’ve always KNOWN Jesus loves me but it’s a whole different ball game to embrace that love fully. To believe it and apply it to your life. To embrace the Father’s love.

So some of these things may seem silly or vain or weird or whatever. But they were small steps into stepping into my identity. I know its hard to get..and there is more to the story. So, if you must, judge away. They were ALL risks for me and that’s what’s important! Here’s a small selection of some things I did!

1. Went kayaking!
2.-3. Colored my hair way lighter!
4. Lit sparklers
5.-6. Started eating things with peach in them! Green tea & salsa!
7. This X ring.
8. Chose quirky frames over boring, normal ones.
9. Painted my nails black. (I was so nervous and the girl kept saying, “UM are you sure you want to do this?” Haha )
10. Obnoxiously large earrings
11. Skull scarf!
12. Went out for Xtina’s birthday! I was so scared!
13. Listened to this cd. And was scarred for life.
14. Pierced my nose!
15. Went to a rap concert!

Special shout out to Karrie the counselor, my MTS girls, my sisters, Candi, Abby Woods, my Dolce Dolls, and many more for supporting my summer of risks!

Ever since I was an suburban elementary schooler listening to B96, I’ve loved hip hop & r&b! I realize I glow white but I have a weird talent of being able memorize rap lyrics. I just like it, ok? So when Christina asked if I wanted to go to a REAL LIVE RAP CONCERT….how could I say no? (I must confess, this was my second rap concert. #1 was Wu Tang Clan. Haha) We went to see Iggy Azalea- she is a female, white, Australian rapper! I KNOW! It’s crazy!

It was at the Monarch Theatre in Downtown Phoenix- it’s right across from US Airways. It was reminiscent of my “going to shows” days :small & sweaty & perfect. Between the excessive bass, weird grinding, and dudes who though they were Drake, my face pretty much looked like the above picture the whole time. It was a people watching gold mine.

At about 11:15p, there was no sign of Miss Iggy. Christina was all, “If she’s not out here by midnight we are leaving. I’m tired and hungry.” I was all, “yeah!” I was so tired and totally regretting that I wore mini wedges.(I may have taken them off and been bare foot…) At 11:35 she made a triumphant entrance and put on a great performance. She has fierce blonde hair and thinks she’s a thug. She does have a little bit of a mouth…forewarning if you look up her music!

She was a great performer, I almost saw a fight, and I left totally exhausted. A great way to spend a Sunday night and a great end-ish to the #summerofrisks!